“…from his open flourishes, it was evident that here was a pianist who was well experienced with this work, with a great sense of balance maintained throughout by both the soloist and orchestra. Carter proved an admirable foil supporting the orchestra in a manner which supported Gillham without drowning him out in the tuttis. It was an approach which seemed closer to the idea of the ‘Emperor’ as an ‘Eroica’ with piano obbligato. And in terms of pianism, Gillham brought to bear an appropriate incisive musculature to those left hand runs whilst maintaining the crystal clear delicacy demanded of the right, and this was all achieved with a broad palette of colours.

Limelight Magazine

Gillham is at pains to let you hear every note of Busoni’s inflation (…) without compromising the overall arc of the piece. It is a cohesive whole with a strong narrative sense in which the frequent changes of pulse and tempo simply flow organically from one to another.

Gramophone

Jayson Gillham accompanied throughout the program with skill and panache, bringing exacting phrasing and a sensitive interpretation to the French songs in particular, and great power and authority in the opera arias. His solo pieces consisted of Poulenc’s Mélancolie, gentle lyrical music played with tenderness and a lightness that belied the hidden depth and strength of the composition. His arpeggios were stunning. In the second half, Grandados’ The Lover and the Nightingale was very fine indeed; his ability to hold the notes just a fraction too long was breathtaking. This was intelligent and considered playing of the finest calibre.”

 Arts Hub

Internationally praised for his compelling performances, Australian-British pianist Jayson Gillham is recognised as one of the finest pianists of his generation. After receiving numerous prizes from some of the world’s leading piano competitions including the Leeds and Van Cliburn, it was Jayson’s First Prize at the 2014 Montreal International Music Competition that brought him to international attention. His outstanding performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 was praised in the Canadian press and described as being played ‘with absorbing and relentless elegance.’

In May 2015 Jayson signed a recording contract with ABC Classic. His debut recital album featuring works by Bach, Schubert and Chopin was released in October 2016 and immediately reached the No.1 spot in both the Core Classical and Classical Crossover ARIA charts. This first release was soon followed by highly acclaimed live recording of Beethoven Piano Concerto No 4 with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy. Jayson’s next CD album recorded in 2017 of works by Medtner and Rachmaninoff with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Benjamin Northey received unanimous praise and was Recording of the Month at the Limelight Magazine. His solo album Romantic Bach, featuring original works and virtuoso piano transcriptions, was released internationally in January 2019.

Jayson Gillham performs with the world’s leading orchestras with highlights including engagements with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra , Bournemouth Symphony, Sydney Symphony at Sydney Opera House, Melbourne Symphony , Adelaide Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Auckland Philharmonic, Christchurch Symphony  as well as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Nashville Symphony and Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal.

In recital, Jayson Gillham appeared at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including the Wigmore Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Saffron Hall, St Martin in the Fields, Royal Nottingham Concert Hall, Barbican as well as Louvre Auditorium, Montreal Pollack Hall, Steinway Hall New York, Sydney City Recital Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre and the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. His festival highlights include performances at the Verbier Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton Festival and Two Moors Festival among others.

Chamber music forms an important part of Jayson Gillham’s career. He collaborated with the Jerusalem, Carducci, Brentano, Ruysdael, Flinders String Quartets and the innovative Manchester Collective. In 2019 Jayson toured Australia with the renowned Australian soprano Nicole Car and baritone Etienne Dupuis with concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane.

In 2019 Jayson Gillham recorded complete Beethoven Concerti cycle in live performance with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra and Nicholas Carter for ABC Classic. Their album received international recognition, and the Gramophone Magazine hailed it among “uncovered gems of Beethoven Piano Concertos releases”.

Recent and future engagements include a return to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide, Tasmanian, Queensland and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras, debuts with the KwaZulu Natal, Johannesburg and Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestras, first appearance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and solo recitals at Hay Music, St Martin in the Fields, Nottingham Djanogly Recital Hall and Oxford Piano Festival.

http://jaysongillham.com/

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